White Chocolate

Let me tell you about white chocolate, and let's be honest from the start — it isn't really chocolate the way you picture chocolate. Break a bar in half and look at it: pale, almost ivory, nothing dark or bitter about it. Smell it — soft and milky, like warm cream, not that sharp cocoa smell at all.

Choose it by nose and by touch. Good white chocolate smells faintly of cream and vanilla, never greasy, never waxy. The colour runs from pale ivory to white, and that's just how different bars are — don't judge quality by shade alone. Snap it: it should feel firm but give a little under your fingers, not glassy and hard like dark chocolate.

Now, some people treat white chocolate like any sweet glaze, since it isn't real chocolate — they figure it can take the same rough handling. No! Put it over high heat and watch what happens: it scorches fast, and turns grainy and stubborn under your spoon, refusing to go smooth again. That's the mistake this thinking leads to — a broken, gritty mess instead of a silky glaze. Melt it gently, low and slow, your eyes on it the whole time, and it rewards you with exactly the shine you wanted.